Freshman Year
by buzzlightyearr
Summary: After a very eventful summer, the PS 118 gang are off to college. How will time and the college experience change their friendships and relationships? Technically a sequel to Nine Years Later.
1. Going Away to College

Chapter One | Going Away To College

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 **AN** : Alright, technically this story is a sequel to "Nine Years Later" but I'm attempting to write this story in a way that you don't NEED to read that story to understand this one. So, this story follows the Hillwood gang to their respective colleges and you'll be able to see how college changes friendships and relationships. I hope you'll enjoy it. As with all of my stories, if you review with your username, I will respond personally to you. :) Happy Reading. - Ria/BuzzLightyearr

* * *

 **Song** : Blink 182—Going Away to College

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Phoebe Heyerdahl remembered touring Stanford University the summer before her senior year of high school. However, there was nothing like the feeling when she pulled into the Stanford University campus in her steel blue Prius with the realization that this was going to be her home for the majority of the next four years.

She stepped out of her car nervously but she could also feel a hint of sadness. Her thoughts wandered to her boyfriend Gerald who was still in Hillwood, Washington for the time being. Although, he'd been commuting to and from campus for football practice, he didn't move into the dorms at his college, the University of Washington, for another week. Phoebe tried to shake the thoughts from her mind as she grabbed a duffel bag and large box from the backseat of her car.

"I can take that for you sweetie." Ryo Heyerdahl offered, grabbing the box from his daughter's hand.

"Thank heavens we had the foresight to grab your keys and ID before we trekked up, down and all around the campus with all of this, right hon?" Reba Heyerdahl commented with her slight southern drawl. Reba grabbed a final box from the backseat of her daughter's car as they began their journey through the quad.

"Do you know where we're going?" Ryo questioned, readjusting the boxes in his arms.

Phoebe scanned her campus map as her eyes darted back and forth between the campus map and her housing assignment.

"This way." Phoebe pointed ahead, "Wilbur Hall, Junipero house."

"Sounds wonderful." Reba remarked, "This campus is adorable, it's like its own mini town." Reba observed as they made their way to Phoebe's new home.

Finally, after walking for what seemed like miles they arrived at Phoebe's dorm room. The door leading into her room was already ajar as her roommate and roommate's parents were already inside.

"Um, Hello." Phoebe greeted the small group, holding out her hand towards the teenaged girl for a handshake.

"You must be Phoebe Heyerdahl! Hi, I'm Siobhan. Siobhan Nakamura!" The young girl introduced herself, ignoring her handshake and instead pulling Phoebe into a small hug.

Phoebe had only interacted with Siobhan through emails and discovered that they had similar academic goals and came from similar backgrounds. However, now that they were standing side-by-side, Phoebe realized that the two of them were strikingly different physically. Phoebe looked at the teen up and down, her light golden brown skin tone was glistening and her jet black ringlets were pulled into a messy high bun which revealed a design shaved into the right side of her hair. Her features were a stark difference from her own porcelain ivory skin tone and straight shoulder length bob that she could barely coax a curl out of. Siobhan's loose white Ramone's muscle tank and high-waisted jean shorts not only provided a contrast in style to her own blue cable knit sweater and black skirt ensemble, but also revealed that Siobhan had at the very least colorful half-sleeve and a rib tattoo. Phoebe made a mental note that her roommate was decidedly "cool" and wondered what her roommate was thinking about her—likely that she paled in comparison.

"Hello, I'm Robert and this is my wife Jillian." Mr. Nakamura's voice pulled Phoebe out of her deep thought. "Let me just say how nice it is to see another set of parents who are active in their child's life."

"Siobhan told us that she would be fine on her own, but we insisted on helping her move in. She's our only daughter and this is a _huge_ moment for us." Mrs. Nakamura added.

"I hear you on that. Phoebe is our only child and I can't imagine just sending her off on her own without us." Reba responded, as the two girls rolled their eyes at their parents' overprotectiveness.

Not only did Robert, Ryo, Jillian and Reba stay for nearly an hour to help their children settle into their new dorm rooms, but both sets of parents insisted on dragging their daughters to a tour designed for incoming students and their parents to become familiar with the campus. After their tour, the parents forced their children to attend a family "goodbye" luncheon in the main dining hall and to Phoebe's horror, after lunch they ended up finding and chatting with Lorenzo, Nadine and Vincent's parents.

Finally, after many embarrassing stories and uncomfortable conversations both the Heyerdahl's and the Nakamura's decided to hit the road and leave their daughters to bond.

"Jeez, my parents have been gone for ten minutes and they're already texting me!" Siobhan remarked, tossing her phone onto her bed.

"Your parents seem really sweet." Phoebe commented, the corners of her mouth turning up into a small smile.

"Sweet? Yes. Overbearing? Also yes." Siobhan joked, causing the pair of girls to burst out in laughter. Phoebe's ears perked up when she heard the familiar sound of her cell phone alerting her to an incoming text message. With all of the activities that she had attended, she hadn't found time to look at her cell phone all day. She was surprised to see that she had 5 unread text messages.

Helga: How is Cali treating you so far?

Gerald: Practice was rough. Sure do wish you were here to give me one of your signature back rubs.

Gerald: I miss you so much babe.

Mom: Dad and I miss you already! Don't forget to call every day! We love you sweetheart.

Gerald: I love you. Counting the days til I see you again.

Phoebe read her text messages through glossy eyes, tears began to develop as a wave of homesickness suddenly overwhelmed her. She'd only been in Stanford for a few hours but it was the first time that she realized how far away she was from home. She couldn't just go to her best friend's house if she was having a bad day. She couldn't just call her boyfriend to come over and spend time with her.

"Are you okay sweetie?" Siobhan questioned, unsure if she should attempt to hug the young girl or keep her distance. Phoebe sadly shook her head yes. "Homesick?" Siobhan asked, placing her arm around the girl's shoulder. "Me too."

"You seem to be holding it together a lot better than me." Phoebe managed to laugh slightly through choked tears.

"Hmm—looks can be deceiving." Siobhan offered, "We're allowed to miss people from home, it's only natural. We just can't let it deter us from enjoying our time while we're here." Siobhan pondered for a moment as the girls sat in a comfortable silence. "I have an idea! There's an Asian-American mixer tonight. Let's put on some cute outfits, grab a bite to eat, and head over there. Worst case scenario, we hate everyone there and we realize it sooner rather than later. Best case scenario, we'll meet some new friends. What do you say?"

Phoebe pondered for a moment at the girl's offer. She was nearly a thousand miles away from her favorite people in the world, what did she have to lose?

* * *

Gerald Johanssen wasn't a stranger to the University of Washington campus. In fact, he had been there far too many times throughout the summer as his coaches pushed him and the rest of the Huskies football team through grueling practices. In fact, when move-in day finally rolled around, he was relieved that he would no longer have to commute to-and-from Hillwood and Seattle on an almost daily basis.

Yes, he was sad to be away from the town that he had grown up in. In fact, Hillwood was the only town he'd ever lived in—but he figured, he was only two hours away and he'd be able to see his family and friends more often than others that came from further distances. The thing that bothered him most about moving onto campus was the fact that he missed his girlfriend Phoebe Heyerdahl so much.

He always thought that the two of them would be the classic couple who stayed together throughout high school, went to the same college, and married shortly after graduation. However, that dream was crushed when he found out through one of Phoebe's relatives that she would, in fact, be attending college over thirteen hours away in Stanford, California. The realization that they were now a long distance couple after spending the past six years less than a few miles apart hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Dude, did you see the hotties that are across the hall from us? I can't decide which one I like more," Jacob 'Jake' Thompson, Gerald's roommate and teammate pondered aloud before tossing his duffel bag on to the floor. "The tall blonde one gave me a dirty look when I tried to say hi, but ya boy isn't afraid of a challenge."

Gerald thought about the neighbors that occupied the room across the hall from theirs and couldn't help but to double over with laughter.

"What's so funny Johanssen?" Jake's blonde brows furrowed with confusion at his roommate's sudden outburst. Gerald stayed quiet, trying to hold back his laughter as he grabbed his cell phone. He scrolled down his recent photos and pulled up a picture from Labor Day, Gerald was standing next to his best friend Arnold Shortman as they both smiled into the camera. Gerald's arm was wrapped tightly around Phoebe's petite frame and Helga Pataki's arm was placed firmly on Arnold's chest as his hand was placed at the small of her back.

"Small world." Jake chuckled, taking in all parts of the photo. "So you're trying to tell me that the tall blonde is taken?"

"Yup." Gerald responded, "Off limits."

"And you have a girlfriend too."

"I sure do."

" _Dude_!" Jake smacked Gerald playfully on the chest, "You really came to college as a football player and you're _not_ single?" Jake laughed, "You know these girls are going to be throwing themselves at you—and where is your girlfriend at?"

"Stanford." Gerald said firmly.

"Not here." Jake corrected with the answer that supported his point, "But, you know—if you want to do the devoted boyfriend act, I'll be here to pick up the ladies that you leave behind."

Gerald rolled his eyes at his roommate.

"I wouldn't expect _you_ to understand." Gerald responded before attempting to change the topic. "Come on, let's finish getting this room set up so we can try to enjoy our weekend. Coach finally stopped those two-a-day practices so that means we have time to explore the campus with more than just football players and coaches around here."

"Alright, alright." Jake commented.

Gerald finished unpacking the rest of his boxes as his mind wandered towards Phoebe and wondering if what Jake was telling him held any weight at all.

"Mom, Dad—seriously, I can take it from here." Helga Pataki informed her parents as they lingered in her dorm room.

"Come on kid, at least let me set up your TV for you." Bob pleaded with his youngest daughter. Helga remembered times in the past when she wished that her parents would pay more attention to her, now the old adage "be careful what you wish for" was running on repeat in her mind.

"I think I can manage." Helga stated, placing a hand on her father's forearm. She looked at him and was surprised that the look on his face one of melancholy. " _Dad_ , you know I'm going to be home regularly, I'm only two hours away."

"I know, I know. It's just, my little girl is all grown up now." Bob responded, "It's almost surreal, you'll understand when you have kids."

Miriam, Bob and Helga said their goodbyes after much insisting on Helga's behalf and threw herself onto the bare twin sized bed and released a huge sigh of relief. She looked around the empty dorm room and debated on if she should wait for her roommate to arrive or begin settling in now. Helga started to put the bedsheets on her side of the room when she heard the doorknob jiggle.

"Did you see how many parents are out there wandering around the hallways? I didn't know if I was in college or a senior center." The 5'5" girl commented as she lugged in a few bags and boxes, "I mean seriously, we're in college now, time to cut the cord already."

"You read my freakin' mind." Helga responded, "I assume you're Madison."

"Your assumption would be correct. Helga, right?" Madison Bannister responded.

"Yup, Helga G. Pataki in the flesh."

"This dorm room is pretty sweet as far as dorms go. I'm super stoked to have our own bathroom!" Madison exclaimed as she pulled her black to burgundy ombre colored hair into a messy bun.

"Seriously! My best friend is at Stanford and she's been complaining all week about the communal showers." Helga joked. "I'm so glad we don't have to deal with that."

"Tell me about it!" Madison responded, the girls chatting as they transformed their dorm room into a comfortable home for them. They shared stories about their friends back home, their overbearing parents and their insufferable but well-meaning siblings. They discovered that they were both huge tomboys and enjoyed playing sports more than applying makeup.

"Okay, now _this_ looks like a living space." Helga commented, stepping back to snap a picture of their work to post to facebook.

"What do you say we go and see what type of food Lander Hall has to offer?" Madison suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Helga responded, grabbing a hoodie out of her closet and heading for the door. The door barely had time to close before she heard a familiar Hillwood voice.

"Hey Pataki, where are you heading?" Gerald asked as his roommate Jacob stood posted behind him outside of their dorm room door.

"Not that it's any of _your_ beeswax but we're going to try to grab a bite to eat." Helga answered, her voice laced with the façade of irritation.

" _You_ know the hot football players that we live across the hall from!?" Madison grabbed Helga's arm and whispered to her excitedly.

"Is she okay?" Gerald asked his eyebrows stitched together with confusion.

"She's fine—just a little crazy from all the excitement today." Helga exclaimed, "This is Madison by the way—um Madison, this is my best friend's boyfriend and pain in my butt, Gerald Johanssen."

"Ha ha, really funny Helga." Gerald stated sarcastically. "That's my roommate Jacob."

"You ladies can call me Jake though." He smiled, running his fingers through his long blonde locks.

"Right." Gerald rolled his eyes, " _Anyway,_ we were about to go explore the campus in search of food just like you two ladies—mind if we tag along?"

"Fine, just no funny business okay?" Helga rolled her eyes playfully and smiled at Gerald. Gerald chuckled in agreement as the group of four left to explore the University of Washington campus.

* * *

Arnold Shortman walked into Hillwood Community college with a cup of coffee in one hand and holding his backpack strap with the other hand. He booked it to his English 101 class and was pleased to discover he was one of the first students to arrive. He took a seat in the middle of the classroom, not too close to the front—but not so far back that he wouldn't be able to hear what the Instructor was talking about.

He took dropped his backpack next to his seat, dug out his required textbook, a notebook and a pen and sat it on his desk. He quickly exchanged a few text messages with his girlfriend and discovered that she was still figuring things out on campus and her classes wouldn't start until the following Monday. He switched over to the group message in Facebook and discovered that Phoebe was also having her first day of classes today and Gerald was also starting the following Monday.

Arnold was so consumed with catching up with his friends, when he looked up he noticed the classroom was beginning to fill up. There was a wide mix of students from fresh out of high school eighteen year olds to fifty year olds looking for a career change and everything in between. Arnold was surprised to see some people he hadn't seen since elementary school.

Torvald Williams walked into the classroom, 6'4" and extremely muscular wearing a fitted Punisher t-shirt and upon recognizing Arnold gave him a quick fist pound before taking a seat in the back of the classroom. He also spotted Iggy Jones, who acknowledged Arnold with a simple nod of the head.

Arnold was nervous about heading back to his hometown of Hillwood, Washington from the jungles of San Lorenzo but the transition was surprisingly easy for him. However, his transition wasn't completely free of challenges and he was reminded of that when Stinky Peterson walked into his classroom. The point was further driven home when the only remaining seat in the classroom was the one right beside him. Arnold let out a heavy sigh, it was going to be a long sixteen weeks.

* * *

"You ready for a fun weekend!?" Harold asked excitedly, holding his son Chase up in the air. Chase responded with a small giggle, which Harold wasn't sure if it was genuine entertainment or just gas given his young age but either way it brought a smile to Harold's face. Harold was determined to build a strong relationship with Chase. The last thing he wanted was his son to grow up thinking that his parents' marriage failed because of him. "Anything that I should know before we head out?"

"Chase has been a little fussy at night. I switched up his bedtime routine and it's seemed to work. Just bathe him after his 7 o'clock feeding with the lavender bath wash and lotion him down before bed and he'll usually go to sleep within the next five minutes." Patty smiled, "I think that's all."

"Feeding. Bath. Lavender. Sleep. Got it!" Harold repeated his version of a summary. "Well, I guess we'll be heading out."

Patty gave Harold a friendly hug goodbye and gave her son a kiss on his forehead before Harold buckled their son into his car seat and headed out the front door. Patty glanced over at the clock, noticed that it was 7:15 and quickly hopped into the shower. She threw on a pair of cropped jeans, a simple blush pink button down top and a pair of white converse sneakers. She debated on if she should wear earrings or not, but ultimately decided against it. She was rushing against the clock, she wanted to attempt an updo that she'd seen on Pinterest earlier in the week but instead she settled for twisting her outgrown bangs out of her face and hoping that she still looked somewhat put together. Her cell phone rang as she was putting on tinted lip gloss, the only makeup that she felt comfortable applying.

"Hey Patty, I'm here. I wish you'd reconsider the rule about not being able to knock on your door." The voice chuckled.

"Someday I will reconsider but today is not that day." Patty returned a slight laugh, "I'm about to walk outside now." Patty hung up the phone and took one last look at herself, running her fingers through her hair a final time before heading out of the door and locking it behind her. As she started to walk towards the car door, Jason Miller stepped from the driver's seat and walked around to open the door for her.

"You look great, but what else is new?" Jason remarked as she climbed into the seat of his steel grey Jeep Patriot. "Are you ready to have a great time tonight?"

"It's always a great time with you." Patty's voice was on the edge of flirting and she was taken slightly aback by her own confidence. She ran into Jason, literally ran into him, at the grocery store one evening and lately she'd been hanging out with him and his friends. She was going through the process of a divorce and it was nice to have friends, other than the ones that she grew up with, to help take her mind off of things.

"Well, in that case—let's roll!" Jason looked over at Patty with a sparkle in his eye and a broad smile that revealed his pearly white teeth. She flashed him a shy smile back as she attempted to keep her butterflies at bay, reminding herself that they're just friends.

* * *

Rhonda Wellington Lloyd wanted to be enthusiastic about her impending first day of college but she was finding it extremely difficult. She assumed that if she was attending Brown, Columbia, Stanford, or hell, even University of Washington she would be more excited. However, when she received only two college acceptance letters in her mailbox she figured that University of Hillwood was a better option than University of Idaho.

Her mother attempted to make her feel better by telling her the only reason that women of her caliber even attended college was to meet a husband. Which didn't make her feel better in the slightest. Her father attempted to cheer her up with a townhouse on the upper east side of Hillwood, valued at 3.5 million dollars. That made her happy but definitely didn't make her feel better about the fact that she was spending college at a school she didn't want to be at. To add insult to injury, while Rhonda Lloyd was the most popular girl in Hillwood from preschool to high school, due to events that happened over the summer she now only had one friend she could bitch about this entire ordeal to.

"I thought the entire point of a freshman mixer is to make new friends in college." Thaddeus Gammelthorpe remarked to his clearly frustrated new best friend. "I shouldn't be going to this with you, I'm not even a student."

"Curly, you know that as much as I hate to admit it, you're like my only friend right now." Rhonda remarked, putting on her widest puppy dog eyes. Thaddeus rolled his eyes at the use of his childhood nickname.

"All the more reason that you shouldn't drag me along with you as though I'm your security blanket." Thaddeus attempted to explain to the tall raven-haired beauty.

"Fine," Rhonda walked over to the oversized white leather ottoman that sat at the foot of her bed and took a seat, "I guess I'm not going then." She pouted, crossing her arms.

"You know, if you _really_ wanted me to come with you, you'd just say 'Thaddeus, I really want you to come with me'" Thaddeus teased, " _Then_ , perhaps I'd accept your offer." Rhonda rolled her eyes in mock frustration.

"Thad." Rhonda said in a mockingly sweet tone, "Will you please cut the act and bring your butt down to this stupid party with me!" She exclaimed, with a mix between a yell and laughter, Thaddeus smiled back at his friend.

"Alright, you've twisted my arm. Don't think I'm getting soft or anything but I guess I'll come with you sugar lips." Thaddeus smirked, causing a flush of pink to sweep across Rhonda's cheeks.

Rhonda walked up to the huge bonfire taking place on the Hillwood University football field, hundreds of incoming freshmen were sprawled across the field mingling in small groups. Some were gathered around the bonfire, others were dancing near the DJ booth, and many were hovering around the food tables.

"I think I see some old familiar faces." Thaddeus remarked, gesturing towards a group of students she rarely talked to in High School. "I'll grab us a couple of drinks and meet you over there." Thaddeus remarked before walking towards the refreshment area. Rhonda rolled her eyes and swallowed her pride before walking over to the small group.

"Hey! I haven't seen you guys in a while!" Rhonda greeted the small group of teenagers, flashing an award winning smile and tucking a long strand of hair behind her left ear. "I can't believe we're all at HU this year, Go Hens!"

"Oh, hello Rhonda." Sheena Weber responded, her nearly waist-length chestnut brown locks blowing slightly in the light September breeze.

"Wow, I didn't expect to see you here!" Park Lee stated before Sheena jabbed him in the side, "I didn't expect to see you at a party like this." He quickly recovered.

"Yes, well—I'm here to support my school and socialize. You know that I've never been a stranger to socializing." Rhonda ran her fingers through her black hair.

"Aren't you a little overdressed for this type of party?" Park questioned, looking at Rhonda's black, low-cut jumpsuit, expensive clutch and bright gold sandals. Rhonda geared herself up for a rebuttal when she heard a voice behind her.

"She's probably on a mission to find _another_ relationship to ruin." Lila Sawyer commented, taking a sip of her orange soda before standing with her party. "Sorry we're late guys, the refreshments line was ever-so-long."

Rhonda turned towards the redheaded girl, her hand was wrapped around the arm of a tall man with dark brown hair, a chiseled jawline and clearly had some lean muscle on him. Eugene Horowitz followed right behind her and to her surprise he was holding the hand of a tall, handsome blonde.

"That's a little uncalled for." Rhonda stated, clearing her throat adjusting her posture to convey dominance. "I mean, we're all friends here and I believe that I owe you a well overdue apology. Although, looking at your new boy toy it seems I may have done you a favor _so_ —you're welcome."

"Rhonda, you just don't get it do you?" Lila responded, dropping the man's arm and walking towards Rhonda. "I don't want your apology, I just want _you_ to go away." She poked the woman in the chest, Lila was never really the type to get angry or hold a grudge but what Rhonda did to her and her friends was unforgivable.

"Babe, it's not worth it." The tall brunette gentleman pulled Lila's arm and attempted to lead her away from the confrontation.

"Yeah Lila, let's just get out of here." Eugene commented. The group of Rhonda's former classmates began walking off, leaving Rhonda standing alone. Only Sheena looked back and gave Rhonda a sad smile and shrug before turning around and rejoining her group.

"Whoa, what the hell did I miss?" Thaddeus questioned, attempting to hand Rhonda a cup of punch. She could feel her eyes beginning to sting as she attempted to hold off the tears that threatened to escape from her eyes. Thaddeus placed a hand on the small of her back and gently rubbed her bangs out of her face. "Come on, let's get out of here. Forget those people." Rhonda shook her head yes and Thaddeus attempted to lead her towards the exit.

"Rhonda, Rhonda is that you?" A voice called out, Rhonda took a long deep breath in a desperate to regain her composure before turning around to face the voice. A thin teenager wearing a black band tee, khaki shorts and a green beanie ran up towards her. "Boy howdy, it _is_ you!"

"Sid?" Rhonda questioned, "I thought you were—um—at a mental institution."

"What!?" Sid exclaimed

"The nut house, the looney bin, the whacky shack." Thaddeus rattled off with a deadpanned expression in an attempt at clarification.

"Why does everyone keep saying that!? I was in Pasadena for heaven's sakes!" Sid readjusted his beanie and gestured towards the two teenagers standing before him. "So, is this a thing now or something?"

"What are you talking about?" Thaddeus and Rhonda asked simultaneously.

"Never mind." Sid chuckled, "Well, enjoy—uh—whatever this is, I've gotta catch up to Sheena and Lila before I lose them."

"This was the worst idea I've ever had." Rhonda stated when they reached her car in the crowded parking lot. Thaddeus looked at her and raised a questionable eyebrow. "Alright, one of the worst—this is up there."

"Netflix marathon?" Thaddeus asked.

"Deal." Rhonda responded, smiling slightly at Thaddeus before taking off. This year was definitely going to be rough, but at least she had one person in her corner.


	2. Don't Forget To Remember Me

Chapter Two | Don't Forget to Remember me

* * *

 **Song** : Don't Forget to Remember Me—Carrie Underwood

* * *

Phoebe uncharacteristically tossed her backpack onto the chair of her desk and released a heavy sigh. She was exhausted and it was only three in the afternoon, however, it was Friday afternoon. Her first week of classes were finally done and Phoebe was definitely looking forward to a weekend of relaxation, catching up with her best friend and boyfriend, and sleeping in.

She briefly contemplated taking a nap but figured she hadn't taken a nap since kindergarten, why should she get into that habit now. Instead, she brewed herself a cup of coffee, climbed into a pair of comfortable pajama shorts, fished out her Samsung phone from her backpack, and quickly dialed Gerald's number.

The phone rang and soon she could see Gerald's handsome face on the screen and he seemed to be in the middle of the school courtyard rushing somewhere.

"Hey babe!" He panted, managing a wide, genuine smile despite the fact that he appeared to be very short-winded.

"Hi Honey!" Phoebe responded before her curiosity got the best of her, "Where are you heading to?" It was a Friday afternoon and she knew Gerald wasn't rushing to class because he didn't start until Monday.

"Our team meeting went a little long today so I'm trying to head back to my room as quickly as possible. I need to eat and relax a little before practice." Gerald spoke into the phone as he opened the building door to Maple Hall, "How was your day?"

"Exhausting." Phoebe sighed, "It's been a pretty long week."

"I can imagine. I'm already so busy, I can only imagine how it's going to be when I have classes to attend also." Gerald remarked.

"I really miss you."

"I miss you too babe."

"Did you find out if you're going to be playing in tomorrow's game?"

"Yes, I did."

"Well? Don't keep me in suspense!"

"I'm not playing in tomorrow's game, short of an injury occurring." Gerald answered, his face falling a bit. "I mean, I'm a freshman, I still have to prove myself to these people. I know they're not going to play me immediately but I know that they will soon." Gerald's face perked up a bit.

"That is an excellent attitude to have honey, I know that you can do it!" Phoebe smiled, her voice full of encouragement.

"Thanks, what would I do without you?" Gerald gave a smile but then turned his head when he heard a door open in the background followed by the sound of a male voice.

"Johanssen, we have to go over these plays before practice so they're fresh in our minds." The voice carried through the phone, although Phoebe couldn't see anyone but Gerald on the screen. "You know coach is going to tear us a new one if we don't know these."

"Well, on that note I guess I have to talk to you later. I'm going to go over a few plays with my roommate. I love you sweetie." Gerald told his girlfriend, Phoebe managed to squeeze out a quick "I love you too." Before the screen went black. She scrolled to her contacts and dialed her best friend's number, but Helga didn't pick up the phone. Phoebe rolled her eyes and threw her head back onto her pillow.

Phoebe was mindlessly scrolling through Facebook and Instagram when the door to her room flew open. Phoebe jolted up from her relaxed position on the bed.

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" Phoebe shouted, throwing a small decorative pillow at her roommate. "Who barges into a room like that!?"

"Sorry, calm your tits!" Siobhan joked, "It's just me—no worries." Siobhan smiled as she placed her books on the desk. She paused for a moment and looked back and forth between the door and her mini-fridge. "I think I'm going to put this meal plan to work and grab some dinner at Star Ginger, you wanna come with?"

"Nah." Phoebe responded with a sigh.

"Suit yourself." Siobhan responded before grabbing her lanyard and heading out the door.

Phoebe lost track of time when she heard a knock at the door. It was nearly 8:00 in the evening. She forced herself to get out of bed and slowly opened the door, revealing Siobhan standing outside of their dorm room. Her arms wrapped around the shoulders of Nadine Taylor and Vincent "Peapod Kid" Peabody, who were both decked out in swimsuits.

"Sorry, I forgot my key." Siobhan apologized with wide eyes before turning to the young couple standing at the door, "I just have to change. I'll only be two—maybe three minutes." Siobhan smiled, stepping into the dorm room and shutting the door behind her. "You have to come out with us tonight!"

"How do you know Nadine and Vincent?" Phoebe squinted her eyes with confusion.

"They were at Star Ginger—someone else you went to high school with was there too—I think he said his name was Lorenzo." Siobhan answered as she shuffled through her small dresser in search of something particular.

"Why were they half naked?" Phoebe readjusted her eyeglasses as she watched her roommate dance happily when she pulled a two piece tie-dye bikini from the wooden drawer.

"There's a pool party tonight and we're all going." Siobhan responded excitedly, quickly setting up the small Japanese partition the girl's had purchased for changing in the room modestly, "Apparently there's going to be a DJ and it'll be a great chance to meet new people." Siobhan reappeared from behind the partition wearing her bikini and placing a hand on her roommate's shoulder, "You have to come with us—it's going to be super fun!"

"I don't know." Phoebe hesitantly answered, "It's not really my thing."

"Well, what are you going to do if you stay home?" Siobhan questioned as she pulled her black curly hair into a high bun. Phoebe struggled to come up with a response, "See, you don't have other plans tonight so you might as well come out with us. If it's not fun, we'll find something better to do!"

Phoebe looked down at her phone, no notifications. She hopped down from her lofted bed and pulled open her wardrobe. She looked back at her roommate with an incredulous look.

"What!?" Siobhan, confused, looked back at the girl.

"Please don't stare at me. I need to get ready for this pool party." Phoebe joked, pulling a navy blue bikini out from her drawer.

"Yes! So you're coming!?" Siobhan jumped up with excitement.

"Yeah, why not." Phoebe responded. Phoebe quickly got dressed and the two girls headed out of the dorm room. Nadine seemed particularly excited that Phoebe was joining along on their adventure. The small group of eager freshmen walked across campus to Lorenzo's dorm room to pick him up and headed towards the pool party.

The party was technically a campus event but it definitely did not give off that vibe. A sea of Stanford students were mingling, some diving into the pool, some chatting by the punch bowl and other surrounding the DJ booth rocking out to their favorite jams. The pool itself was fairly dark, illuminated by strobe lights and colored LED lights.

"Let's dance!" Siobhan grabbed Phoebe's hand and led to the makeshift dance floor in front of the DJ booth.

"I don't really dance." Phoebe said meekly, she was never one to put herself out into the public eye but Siobhan didn't care about anyone who could have been watching. She raised her arms in the air and swayed to the beat of the music with a huge smile plastered onto her face. Phoebe was hesitant at first but soon warmed up to the crowd. Spending her time at the party alternating between dancing and playing around in the pool. The girls didn't arrive back to their dorm building until nearly 1 am.

"That was a really fun party last night." Siobhan remarked over brunch. She looked over at Phoebe who was glancing down at her phone and pushing her eggs around on her plate. "Alright sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Huh?" Phoebe broke the gaze she had on her phone and looked up at her roommate, "Nothing, nothing."

"Girl, you are not fooling anyone." Siobhan looked at her with a blank stare. Phoebe stared back but Siobhan didn't flinch or even blink.

"Fine." Phoebe said with a sigh, averting her eyes away from Siobhan's gaze. "If you must know, I'm concerned about Gerald. He's already got a lot on his plate and classes for him start on Monday. I'm worried about how his busy schedule is going to affect his school work—and how it's going to affect our relationship."

"Well, I know you'll need to give him a lot of support because he's going to need it." Siobhan said after a long pause of careful thought, "At the same time, you can't make all of your spare time about him. Enjoy yourself."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Phoebe sighed. She knew that what Siobhan said was true but she also knew that it was going to be easier said than done.

* * *

"Wow, they really do go all out for these events don't they?" Helga remarked towards her group as they walked into Red Square, a normally open area of the Quad at University of Washington that had been transformed into a fun mix between a carnival and dance party.

"Well, what do you ladies want to do first?" Jake smiled towards Helga and Madison. Madison returned the smile while Helga desperately tried to erase the scowl that she felt her face attempting to make.

"Oooh, look they have a photo booth. Come on let's go!" Madison exclaimed excitedly, as she took off towards it, Jake following quickly behind her. Gerald and Helga looked back and forth at each other with a shrug before begrudgingly following behind them.

"Look, they have games here. I wonder if they have darts." Helga pondered aloud looking over at Gerald.

"There's darts right over there," Gerald pointed to the right of him, "but I don't think you're ready to get whooped in darts tonight—so we better just keep walking Pataki"

"Oh no. I'll text Mads to meet us down by the games and then it is on like Donkey Kong, Geraldo." Helga responded as she whipped out her phone and quickly fired off a text.

"Mads?" Gerald chuckled, "Do you have a nickname for everyone?"

"Its part of my charm," Helga smiled, "now are you going to keep yapping or are you ready to get spanked in darts?"

"Alright, I forgot how evenly matched we were in these types of games." Gerald laughed, the pair had played nearly every carnival game available and had come up even. "Where in the world did Jake and Madison disappear to? Are you sure you sent that text earlier, because I haven't seen them since they left for that photo booth."

"Yes, I _sent_ the text _Geraldo_. Who cares anyway, I couldn't take another moment of them making goo-goo eyes at each other." Helga remarked, pointing her finger towards her mouth and imitating someone vomiting.

"I thought I was the only one that noticed." Gerald laughed as they reached their respective dorm rooms. Helga jiggled her door open before Gerald even had his key out of his pocket.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow _Gerald_." Helga remarked, putting special emphasis on his name before heading into her dorm room.

"Yeah, tomorrow." Gerald mumbled to himself as he unlocked the door. When he walked into his dorm room, the lights were off but he heard faint moans coming from Jake's side of the room and could make out two figures moving under the covers. He quickly closed his door behind him and walked across the hall to Helga's room, banging loudly on her door.

"Why are you knocking on my door like you're the freaking police!?" Helga demanded to know. She looked down to see Gerald doubled over with laughter.

"Can I hang out here for a little while?" Gerald managed to compose himself between laughs to ask.

"Why?" Helga questioned, folding her arms as she stood in the doorframe of her room.

"Because— _your_ roommate is in _my_ dorm room with Jake." Gerald answered.

"So, I guess that's why we couldn't find them at the carnival—they were too busy hooking up?" Helga burst out laughing, moving aside to allow Gerald access into her dorm room. "Take a seat, I guess we'll find something to watch until Madison decides to make an appearance back home."

Gerald took a seat on the grey futon the girls had set up in front of the TV. Helga grabbed a large bag of popcorn from their shelf along with two cans of soda and flipped the TV onto Netflix.

* * *

Arnold's English 101 course met every Monday and Wednesday and Arnold was counting the weeks until he no longer had to sit through it. It was almost as though the Universe truly had a sick since of humor because it wasn't enough that Mondays were arguably the worst day of the week, but he was just paired with Stinky Peterson for a partner writing assignment.

"Are you ready to tackle this assignment?" Arnold questioned the young man in an attempt to make the best of a terrible situation.

"Whatever. " Stinky replied, not once moving his gaze from his paper to look at Arnold. Arnold rolled his eyes in frustration.

"Well, let's find out what prompt we got." Arnold remarked, apparently to no one because it seemed as though his partner couldn't care less what he had to say. Arnold looked down at the paper and read the prompt they were assigned. "Oh boy." He whispered to himself.

"Okay class, I'm giving you twenty minutes to write a few paragraphs about each of these prompts then you will switch papers and give each other constructive criticism on their pieces. Sometimes our own minds get so clouded with our ideas that we need a second set of eyes to go over the piece to ensure that it is perfect. Alright—time starts now." Mr. Lowe stated.

Arnold raised his hand. "Yes Mr. Shortman?"

"I'm sorry to ask but is there any way that we could have a different prompt?" He questioned anxiously.

"No, eventually every person in this class will write all of these prompts." Mr. Lowe snipped before walking away.

"What is it?" Stinky looked over at Arnold and asked. Arnold slipped him their writing prompt. Stinky looked down at the paper. "Write about the best thing and worst thing to happen to you this summer." Stinky rolled his eyes, shot Arnold a look, grabbed his pen and started furiously writing.

Arnold immediately knew what he wanted to write about but he was afraid of how Stinky was going to react to it. He rolled his eyes and began jotting down his thoughts. Time seemed to fly by, because before he knew it, it was time to exchange papers.

Arnold hesitantly began to read Stinky's paper. Arnold thought he knew what Stinky was going to write about for the best thing to happen to him over the summer was, but he was surprised that Stinky explained that his best moment was also his worst moment of the summer. He described a wonderful date between him and his girlfriend, complete with candlelight dinner and a romantic walk through the park. He explained how he liked the girl for several years but hadn't gotten the courage to approach her until halfway through senior year. He recalled all the little moments that finally led to him asking her to be his girlfriend. Then he described a passionate kiss, which made Arnold's skin crawl a bit—considering Stinky knew he'd be reading it. Finally ending the story with the worst thing to happen to him over the summer, Arnold Shortman coming back to Hillwood. Arnold placed the paper down, unsure of how to even begin to complete the assignment on such a piece.

"I reckon we had similar subject matter in our writing pieces." Stinky observed. A clear attempt to try to bait Arnold into an argument. Arnold grabbed his backpack and snatched his paper from Stinky's desk making a beeline for the door. He heard Mr. Lowe's faint voice calling for him before he heard the door slam shut behind him. _15 more weeks_. Arnold thought to himself. How the hell was he going to get through 15 more weeks!?

* * *

Rhonda had been dreading the first day of classes at Hillwood University since she ran into her former classmates at the freshman mixer where the people she once considered friends made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that they wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. Two things did make her first day of class a little better. The fact that she didn't live on campus and the fact that her first class didn't begin until noon.

Rhonda passed through one of the common study areas of the main building and briefly saw Lila and Eugene chatting with some fellow students. She surprised herself, after years of being the self-proclaimed HBIC of any situation, she was now reduced to avoiding groups of people to avoid an unwanted confrontation. She shook the thought from her mind and continued heading towards her first class of the day, Introduction to Art, and was pleased to see that she didn't share that course with anyone she knew. She attempted to stay focused on the Instructor in the front of the room as they went over the course expectations and grading standers, but instead found her eyes wandering towards the clock at the front of the room.

Finally, class was dismissed and Rhonda grabbed her oversized bag and headed out the door.

"Excuse me!" Rhonda heard a voice call with a very faint Spanish accent call out behind her. She cautiously turned around to see a tall, beautiful girl with coffee toned skin making her way towards her. "Sorry, I just noticed we have the same bag and I just _had_ to introduce myself."

"Oh, I highly doubt that," Rhonda held up her bag and showed it off in a grandeur fashion, "This is an exclusive Hermes-"

"Yes, it's an exclusive Hermes Birkin, sold for a limited time during fashion week. I'm quite aware that we have the same bag, hence why I approached you." The girl interrupted, tucking a piece of dark brown hair behind her ear, causing Rhonda's jaw to drop open. "Now if you're done."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm Naomi Justice." The girl introduced herself, "And you are?"

"I'm Rhonda Wellington Lloyd." Rhonda scoffed, matter-of-factly. "Now, what is a girl of your caliber doing in little ol' Hillwood?"

"Honestly, I thought I'd be at one of the Ivy's right now—money doesn't buy admissions like they used to I guess." Naomi joked, "Seriously, my college plans didn't really work out but I figured University of Hillwood definitely beats University of Iowa." Rhonda laughed at the girl's candid description of how she ended up in Hillwood.

"My other option was University of Idaho." Rhonda chuckled and the girls laughed together. "I was just about to check out the dreadful meal options this campus has to offer, if you care to join me."

"Sure. I haven't met a single cool person since I got to this town." Naomi remarked as they headed towards the main dining hall. "Maybe this year won't be so bad after all."

"Yeah." Rhonda pondered, thinking about the stress of the previous summer and her lack of friendships at the moment, "Maybe it won't be."


	3. Remember the Name

Freshman Year | Chapter Three | Remember the Name

* * *

 **Song** : Remember the Name—Fort Minor

* * *

Phoebe walked into her Hillwood home at a little past eleven o' clock at night but her parents were still up and waiting for her arrival.

"Thank goodness you girls made it here alright!" Reba Heyerdahl exclaimed as Phoebe and Siobhan walked through the door. "Siobhan, so nice to see you!" Reba waved, "Oh honey, I've missed you so much!" Reba walked over to her only child and gave Phoebe a long, loving hug. She'd only been at Stanford for a little more than three weeks but she had to admit to herself that she missed seeing her parents nearly every day.

"Sweetie, you're home!" Kyo walked into the foyer to give his daughter a hug. He grabbed both Phoebe and Siobhan's overnight bags from the floor and carried them over into the living room. "Your mother and I will be attending the game tomorrow to support Gerald." Kyo glanced over the top of his glasses, "Have you received any confirmation of his game status?"

"Yes Father, Gerald said that his coach is considering using him in the second half tomorrow." Phoebe responded.

"Wonderful news," Kyo remarked simply, "Will you and Siobhan be riding with us tomorrow morning or separately?"

"Actually, Siobhan and I will be leaving early tomorrow to pick up Arnold before heading to the stadium." Kyo raised his eyebrow slightly before Phoebe continued, "We were actually planning on staying at Helga's place tomorrow evening?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong Phoebe but doesn't Helga live on campus?" Reba interjected, placing a hand on her chin.

"That's correct mother." Phoebe answered. Kyo and Reba looked at each other with a bit of concern.

"Four girls in a tiny dorm room built for two?" Reba spoke up. "I don't really know if that's the best idea—but you girls are technically adults now. Just promise me that you'll come home if it's the least bit uncomfortable or unsafe." Phoebe and Siobhan nodded their heads in silent agreement.

"Well, your mother and I have already set up an air mattress in your room. Tomorrow is a very exciting day, we're going to head up to bed. Goodnight sweet pea." Kyo gave his daughter a small kiss on the forehead before him and his wife disappeared up the staircase.

* * *

It was the morning of the third game of the season but it was the first game that the coach even considered Gerald for. Gerald woke up and took a shower before grabbing his bag and heading towards the campus gym with his friend, roommate and teammate Jake.

Game day was a big deal at the University of Washington, Gerald and Jake were the only two football players on their floor and they opened their door to a few sticky notes of encouragement posted alongside a few purple and gold streamers. Once at the school gym, they settled in for a pregame, carb-loaded meal that they ate as a team before stretching and completing warm-ups before heading to the locker room.

During the team's morning meal, coach confirmed that Gerald would be playing for at least one quarter in the game. Gerald's heart was racing since the announcement, it was his time to shine but he'd never played on such a large scale before. He had to admit that he was nervous but the more he tried to shake the thoughts from his mind, the more he was consumed by them.

* * *

It was bright and early Saturday morning when Phoebe and Siobhan pulled up to the Sunset Arms boarding house to pick up Arnold Shortman, before embarking on their two hour drive to the University of Washington. The time flew by quickly and before the small group realized it, Helga was texting them instructions on where to park.

Helga headed towards the student parking lot with Madison to meet her best friend, boyfriend and her best friend's roommate. To her own surprise, Helga uncharacteristically squealed when she saw her best friend step out of the car. She ran up to her friend's car and gave her friend a hug, Phoebe was briefly introducing the pair to each other when Arnold stepped out of the car. It had only been two weeks since she'd seen him but she was taken aback when she saw him. His once lush beard, a souvenir from his time In San Lorenzo, was now trimmed and more manageable.

"You didn't tell me about this." Helga said, running her fingers along the side of his chin.

"You don't like it?" Arnold asked nervously, trying to read the expression on Helga's face.

"Oh, come over here. I love it!" Helga growled, grabbing his chin and pulling his face in for a kiss. Helga grabbed Arnold's hand and turned around to face her group of friends, "Mads, this is my boyfriend Arnold and my best friend Phoebe." Helga gestured towards them as she introduced them.

"Nice to meet you guys." Madison responded awkwardly.

"Helga, this is my roommate Siobhan!" Phoebe excitedly introduced her new friend and Siobhan waved to the group.

"Alright, let's drop your stuff off in the room and then I'm going to change for this game." Helga remarked, it was at that moment the entire group realized that Helga and Madison were standing outside greeting them in their pajamas.

"Seriously Helga?" Arnold stifled back a giggle.

"Hey, you guys got here earlier than we expected." Helga defended herself, placing a hand on her hip before the group headed up to Helga and Madison's dorm. "Make yourselves at home, it's a little small but what do you expect?" Helga said opening the door and gesturing the group inside.

Siobhan looked around the pink and grey decorated room, both beds slightly lofted just enough to have a few small drawers tucked underneath them. A small grey futon was placed in the middle of the floor with a small coffee table placed between it and a large television. Siobhan nudged her roommate.

"Hey Phoebe, maybe we should get a futon." Siobhan smiled.

"Yeah. We just have to throw out all the furniture the room came with to fit it in." Phoebe laughed.

"I'm just going to take a quick shower and then we can head over for the tailgate." Helga grabbed the outfit that was thrown onto her bed and headed towards the bathroom.

"Ugh, having your own bathroom. I miss that." Phoebe sighed.

Helga reemerged from the bathroom with her hair braided back into two French braids, wearing a form fitting purple t-shirt with a giant 'W' on the front, the back had #PURPLEREIGN printed in gold glitter on the back. Madison hopped in the bathroom briefly and came out wearing a similar shirt.

"So, I hope you don't mind but Mads and I made you something last night." Helga remarked, pulling out a small gift bag. Phoebe opened the bag to reveal a white University of Washington t-shirt that had been handwritten with glitter to read "Johann is MY man" with Gerald's number: #33, written underneath.

"Oh my goodness!" Phoebe whispered excitedly, "This is awesome. You guys didn't have to do this! Thank you!"

"It was no big deal." Madison and Helga smiled as Phoebe ducked into the bathroom to change into her new shirt.

"Alright. Let's get a move on." Helga remarked, grabbing her room key and heading out into the hallway to make their trek towards Husky Stadium. Crowds of students were heading towards the stadium, decked out in purple and gold carrying signs, bullhorns and foam fingers. The excitement was almost overwhelming. Phoebe's mind wandered to thoughts of Gerald, wondering how he was holding up.

When they got to "The Zone", the tailgating area at Husky Stadium, they entered into a realm none of them had ever experienced before. A sea of purple, white and gold tents and attire surrounded them. Their group grabbed a few sodas and plates of food before striking up conversations with other UW students and fans.

After days of coordinating between Helga and Phoebe, they managed to find five tickets that were side-by-side and only a few rows from both Phoebe and Gerald's parents. Helga placed her hand on Arnold's knee nervously as the game began. They introduced the players on the giant screen and their small group squealed in excitement when they saw Gerald Johanssen's smiling face flash across the screen introducing himself, his hometown, number and position.

The University of Oregon players entered onto the field. The two teams had a history of rivalry and the game was extremely hyped up. The first three quarters flew by and when the fourth quarter rolled around, Gerald finally saw some game time. University of Oregon fumbled the ball on UW's 15-yard-line—a costly mistake.

Washington's offense took the field with 1:14 left on the clock, Gerald took his position on the field, cleared his mind of everything but one single focus, to run the ball as far as he could. The quarterback rattled off the numbers of the play and did a pump fake before giving the ball to Gerald. Gerald saw his opportunity, a small opening in Oregon's defensive line that other's may have missed. His feet picked up speed as Oregon players struggled to keep up with the incoming freshman. Before Gerald knew it, he was past the 50-yard-line, he could see the goal ahead of him and nothing was standing in his way.

The fans were going wild in the stands! Phoebe, Helga, Arnold, Madison and Siobhan were all looking at the field in disbelief. Helga and Phoebe had seen Gerald play all throughout High School so they knew that he was good but they had no idea that he was that fast! Gerald carried the ball into the end zone, scoring not just a simple touchdown—but an 85-yard touchdown for Washington. Gerald's fantastic run helped secure UW's win for his team 47-41.

Following the game, Gerald was surprised at how many people wanted to talk to him. Two local Seattle reporters and one ESPN U reporter shoved microphones into his face wanting post-game interviews. He was extremely happy to see not only his parents but Phoebe's parents as well, waiting to congratulate him on his amazing run after the crowds began to clear out. However, the person that brought the biggest smile to his face was seeing Phoebe, who's smile was huge as she ran up to him, jumped into his arms and planted a kiss on his lips.

"You were amazing out there!" Phoebe remarked, "Your coach would be insane to leave you on the bench after that run!"

"I hope you're right Phoebe!" Gerald beamed, still on a high from his game winning touchdown. "I'll have to see you guys back at the room. I have to hit the locker room for our post game meeting. I shouldn't be more than an hour." Gerald remarked, giving Phoebe a gentle kiss on the lips before heading back to the locker room with the rest of his teammates.

* * *

University of Washington was extremely proud of their athletic department, so it was no surprise that they threw a huge party for all their students after every home game. However, that was not the party that Gerald and his friends attended. They got dressed and headed to a party held within walking distance of the school, but still technically considered off-campus, thrown by one of the senior football players.

When Gerald and his friends walked in, everyone directed their attention towards the door and began to chant. "Kid Flash! Kid Flash! Kid Flash!"

"Don't tell me. You're Kid Flash now?" Helga doubled over in laughter, "Oh this is rich!"

"Someone said it in the locker room earlier—but I didn't think it would stick." Gerald rubbed his neck with a slightly embarrassed look on his face.

"I think it's cute." Phoebe smiled at her boyfriend, "and fitting."

"I mean it was an amazing run that you had today!" Arnold offered as his opinion, "Besides, how many freshman on this team have nicknames?"

Gerald and the others found a quiet corner of the party where they could enjoy themselves but unfortunately, the corner didn't stay quiet for long. Students were flocking towards Gerald's group, wanting to take snapchats and pictures for Instagram. Of course, Gerald had never been one to shy away from the limelight, so he was soaking in all of his newfound popularity as much as he could.

Helga and Arnold stuck it out at the party for nearly an hour before they told their group they were heading back to the dorms to hang out alone for a while. The next to leave the group was Jake, who was determined to find a girl to hook up with. Shortly following behind was Madison, who was on the hunt to find a football player more popular than Jake to hang out with to make Jake jealous. Siobhan was enjoying her time at the party until she looked over at a clearly upset Phoebe.

"What's going on? Why the sad face?" Siobhan asked, Phoebe lifted her cup full of Jungle Juice and pointed it in the direction of Gerald. Gerald was retelling the story of his 85-yard run for what seemed to be the millionth time that night. However, the upsetting part was he was sandwiched between two tall, attractive, future trophy wives while he told his tale; and he was making no effort to tell them to move. "Oh no, this isn't happening. Not on my watch."

"Siobhan, wait!" Phoebe attempted to call after the curly haired girl, who had already muscled her way into the group surrounding Gerald. She walked up to Gerald and although she was nearly a foot shorter than him, she poked him in the chest—Phoebe couldn't hear what was being said, but she could assume they were some pretty strong words because the group had cleared out within minutes.

"Well, I believe my work here is done." Siobhan clapped her hands and began to walk away.

"Wait, where are you going?" Phoebe questioned, grabbing Siobhan's arm before she could head off.

"I can take care of myself, don't you worry your pretty little head about me." Siobhan gave a soft smile, she saw Gerald walking towards the two girls. "Don't forget, you can take care of yourself too. I'll text you in the morning. We're having breakfast at 8am right?"

Phoebe silently nodded her head in agreement before Siobhan walked off and Gerald reached her.

"How about we go to my place and talk?" Gerald asked in the meekest voice she'd ever heard him use.

"Sounds like a great idea." Phoebe responded softly. Gerald and Phoebe made their way back to his dorm room in Maple Hall. Although it was nearly midnight, many students were walking around the campus in search of something to occupy their Saturday night. Gerald swiped his student ID at the entrance of the building and took the now second nature walk up to his dorm room. He unlocked the door, threw his keys on the desk and took a seat on his bed, gesturing for Phoebe to join him.

"Your friend Siobhan, she sure is—bold." Gerald commented once they were settled in.

"I'll admit she can be a little brazen at times." Phoebe responded, "I'm really sorry about that. I had no idea that she was going to interrupt your conversation like that."

"You have no reason to apologize. I was a complete ass. I should have been focusing my attention on you. You drove thirteen hours to see me, not some persona that didn't even exist until 2 o' clock this afternoon," Gerald admitted. "I'm so sorry, it's just a lot to get used to in such a short amount of time."

"Yeah, transitioning to college life was supposed to be much easier than this. It's hard for me and I only have to deal with school, I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through." Phoebe placed a gentle hand on her boyfriend's knee.

"Still, there's no excuse. I'm sorry." Gerald repeated. Phoebe looked into his eyes and could tell that he was sincere with his apology. "I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you."

"I know. Hey," Phoebe got a small glimmer in her eye before leaning in to whisper into Gerald's ear, "Remind me, is dorm room on our list?"

Gerald took a moment to comprehend what his girlfriend was asking before his eyes widened and quickly turned into a half lidded, sexy stare. He pulled Phoebe on top of him and gently kissed her on the neck. "I don't remember, you might have to refresh my memory."

* * *

"Rise and shine Football Head." Helga remarked, Arnold woke up and saw his girlfriend's face inches away from his. He leaned up and planted a kiss on her lips. Despite the two of them sharing such a small bed, he definitely enjoyed sleeping next to Helga—it was something he really could see himself getting used to.

"Sunday already?" Arnold groaned, a tinge of sadness coating his voice.

"Hey." Helga smiled, "I'm coming to Hillwood next weekend—I was going to surprise you, but what the hell?"

"You don't know how happy that makes me." Arnold smiled, grabbing Helga and kissing her. Their kiss started to grow in intensity when they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds but have you see Siobhan?" Phoebe asked once they answered the door, Gerald's tall frame standing behind the petite girl.

"Um no." Helga looked at her friend with a very confused gaze, "I thought she was with you guys."

"I'm an awful friend." Phoebe whimpered, covering her face with her hands as Gerald rubbed her back.

"Well, did you text her?" Helga raised her eyebrows, climbing out of her bed wearing an oversized t-shirt that nearly reached her knees.

"Ugh, Pataki! Put some clothes on!" Gerald remarked, shielding his eyes in an exaggerated fashion.

"Bite me Geraldo." Helga scowled, before grabbing her cell phone. She scrolled through her recent messages, "Don't call the search party just yet, she's with Madison and Jake."

"Madison and Jake?" Gerald chuckled, "I told you that girl was bold."

"Alright, apparently they're finishing up brunch and then they'll be here in a few minutes." Helga informed her friends.

Madison, Jake and Siobhan walked through Helga's dorm room door around ten minutes later. Their hair was tousled and they were all in the same attire from the previous night. It was obvious to everyone that they were either extremely sleepy or very hungover—the latter seemed the most likely.

"Where were you?" Phoebe folded her arms and demanded to know, her voice sounding more motherly than she intended for it to.

"Chill!" Siobhan let off a slight chuckle, causing Madison and Jake to giggle as well, "Jake was running around chasing any and everything with a vagina and a pulse and Madison was attempting to play catch-up—so I gave them a better challenge. Let's find the dopest party on campus! It was not the football party if you were curious."

"Bro! Pi Kapps throw the best party on campus! I got us on the list next week—it's supposed to be a rager!" Jake exclaimed.

"How did you guys even get in to a Pi Kapp party?" Gerald's eyes were wide with astonishment, the fraternity was known for having the most exclusive parties on campus.

"I have my ways." Siobhan smiled, popping her imaginary collar.

"Well, we should be hitting the road soon." Phoebe stated sadly, the group said their goodbyes and a few tears were shed."

"Hey, did you and Gerald work everything out?" Siobhan asked after they dropped off Arnold in Hillwood and started on their long drive back to Stanford.

"Yeah, we did. Thank you." Phoebe smiled.

"Don't thank me, that's what friends do for friends." Siobhan responded, "You two are so adorable together. Just don't be afraid to call him out on his bullshit if you need to." Siobhan offered as advice before turning the radio up and grooving along to the music. Phoebe drove in silence for a little bit, replaying Siobhan's comment in her mind. She did tend to keep her opinions to herself a lot of the time, but she didn't have anything to worry about with Gerald—right?


End file.
